03-14-2020, 01:01 AM
It wasn't through the website; I contacted their sales team directly via email to ask if I could buy a replacement, and they obliged. It was US$30, plus shipping, for both halves of the lower case together. That included a keyboard and trackpad. I assume it's not ready for mass ordering yet, since it's not on the store page. I got the impression that they happened to have one in stock because more cases have been manufactured so far than mainboards. If it's just the keyboard layout that's a problem, you can set the keyboard layout to ANSI in software and get a very ANSI-like experience; main exception being backslash's new home next to the quote key.
I didn't ask them for any sort of replacement-under-warranty because my crack was definitely my fault. The corner screws near the hinge are, in fact, extremely critical to the structural integrity of the hinge. (The wiki's stern warning is, if anything, not stern enough.) By leaving one out, I put tremendous stress on that part of the case every time I moved the lid.
Disassembly and installation wasn't too difficult, but wasn't simple either: disconnect and unscrew until there's nothing left attached to the case, then do everything in reverse. Not for the faint of heart, but if you have a keen eye, a steady hand, and a small Philips screwdriver, you have what you need to do it.
I didn't ask them for any sort of replacement-under-warranty because my crack was definitely my fault. The corner screws near the hinge are, in fact, extremely critical to the structural integrity of the hinge. (The wiki's stern warning is, if anything, not stern enough.) By leaving one out, I put tremendous stress on that part of the case every time I moved the lid.
Disassembly and installation wasn't too difficult, but wasn't simple either: disconnect and unscrew until there's nothing left attached to the case, then do everything in reverse. Not for the faint of heart, but if you have a keen eye, a steady hand, and a small Philips screwdriver, you have what you need to do it.
